AntaraJakarta (ANTARA) - Director of Forestry and Water Resources of the National Planning Agency Nur Hygiawati Rahayu encouraged the establishment of partnerships and increased cooperation and expanded capacity for water and environmental conservation and sustainable development to protect the environment and the sustainability of water resources.
"The central government is still pushing financial transfers to regions to improve the supply of clean water and good sanitation," Nur said in a discussion, "Together Keeping Water a Source of Life", to commemorate World Water Day which falls on March 22, Jakarta, Friday.
He said that until 2045, not doing more (business as usual) with regard to climate change that continues to occur and forest degradation and environmental quality that continues to decline can cause a shortage of food, energy and water.
The opening of forests into agricultural land or settlements will also affect the capacity of the environment with regard to water availability.
In fact, water is a source of life and a driver of development.
Nur said the government continued to carry out various programs or activities aimed at ensuring the availability and sustainability of clean water.
However, the authority of environmental management is not only at the center, but also in the regions. For this reason, the region must also have a strong commitment and make it happen, including in terms of providing clean water to the community.
He said during the commemoration of World Water Day, the government continued to strive to improve people's accessibility to clean water in order to fulfill human rights and improve the quality of life and welfare of the community
He said the regulatory, institutional, funding and infrastructure development approaches were also aimed at ensuring the availability of water.
Infrastructure development also aims to ensure the community has access to clean water.
"It is ensured that access to clean water can be achieved by the community without the need to walk far for clean water," he said.
He said that several wide rivers turned out to have poor water quality.
For this reason, water conservation must continue to be carried out to ensure the availability of clean water, for example through a vegetative approach through greening or planting cover crops.
Other efforts are to continuously monitor the quality of good ground water, surface water and underground water and to form a water safety plan to ensure the availability of clean water for critical areas or difficulties to get clean water because of the government's obligation to provide clean water to the community. *
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
